Awe, Compassion, Gratitude, and Beauty: The Science and Practice of Self-Transcendence

This five-day workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, is a study of self-transcendence through awe, compassion, gratitude, and beauty. It is led by Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, and suits anyone who wants to understand these emotions scientifically and practice them in a living way, whether you come from contemplative work, the arts, or simple curiosity about wonder.

What to Expect

The workshop pairs current research with hands-on practice. Dacher Keltner draws on evolutionary and neuroscientific approaches to the mind, and on the cultural meanings of these states, to look at where self-transcendence lives in our own minds and hearts and how to cultivate it more deeply. These emotions, as the workshop frames them, help us gain perspective on our stresses, quiet the transactional self, and turn toward the well-being of others.

At least a third of the time is given to practice. Expect storytelling, slow looking at art, awe walks, and ways to encourage kindness. Along the way you will explore how these emotions appear in the arts, in spiritual traditions, and in intellectual and cultural history, and how to bring them into your social life and everyday days.

The week begins on Monday with check-in after 2:00 pm, a welcome orientation from 5:00 to 5:45 pm, and an opening session from 7:15 to 9:30 pm. Tuesday through Thursday follow a steady rhythm: a morning session from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, lunch and a rest period, then an afternoon session in the late afternoon, ending at 6:00 or 6:15 pm. Wednesday also offers evening programming. On Friday the final session runs from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, and guests depart by 2:00 pm, though a longer stay is possible.

About Dacher Keltner

Dacher Keltner is a professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. His research focuses on the biological and evolutionary origins of compassion, awe, love, beauty, and humility, as well as power, social class, and inequality. He is the author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, which is the recommended reading for this workshop.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits in Big Sur above the Pacific Ocean, and the program takes full advantage of the surroundings. Guests staying on site have access to the hot springs and other campus features, and can attend classes on the open schedule. Lodging ranges from sleeping bag space and shared bunk rooms to private queen and king rooms, with the premium rooms and yurt offering ocean or forest views. Some guests choose to stay off site.

Meals are served in the dining hall: breakfast from 8:30 to 9:45 am, lunch from 12:30 to 1:45 pm, and dinner from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, with coffee, tea, and snacks available through the day.

Highway 1 access into northern Big Sur has been subject to a travel advisory, with Caltrans-operated convoys at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm as the only way in or out. Check current road conditions before you travel and plan your arrival around them.

Before You Go

No prior experience is mentioned as a requirement. Bring a notebook or journal and a pen. The workshop fee covers instruction with Dacher Keltner, housing, three meals a day, coffee, tea and snacks, hot springs access, and open schedule classes. Healing arts sessions such as Esalen massage or holistic services, specialty coffee, tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are extra. A scholarship application is available for those who need it.